Last Seen in Saratoga' slow out of the gate
LEE GOODEN, For The Saratogian
09/10/2002
Book review
'Last Seen In Saratoga'' came out just in time for Saratoga's famous track season. One cannot help but think of a Dick Francis novel, or of the late Charles Bukowski, when considering books about horse racing.
Bukowski filled many pages with poems, stories and essays about his exploits at the track. He once said, ''Everybody has got a system, but it's only a system when it works.''
Stevens has the beginning of a system -- ''Last Seen In Saratoga'' almost works. We'll have to wait until the next book to see if there's a payoff.
'''Last Seen In Saratoga' is a glimpse into the lives of four senior citizens who find friendship in each other's company. Harry, a widower, and his pal, Mike, a divorcŽ, both love betting on the horses. They invite their new lady friends to join them for a fun holiday at the races in Saratoga,'' reads a blurb at the front of the book.
The book is 15 short chapters of ''glimpses'' leading up to four longer chapters about horse racing.
Because of these ''glimpses,'' it is difficult to develop empathy for the characters. Stevens touches on a subject here or lights on a subject there.
The reader is just beginning to get a sense of Harry, and suddenly Harry is steering his car into a local strip mall. What happened to his wife? What's up with those daffodils? Why did Harry go to a strip mall?
Aside from his incorrect punctuation, grammatical and syntactical errors, Stevens has no follow-through.
For example, of the political differences between the main characters, Harry and Mike, Stevens writes: ''Their political views sometimes clashed fiercely over heated controversies like whether Bill Clinton was the worst or the best of our presidents.''
What does that mean?
In another example of these ''glimpses,'' Harry is in his kitchen when his mind wanders. Stevens writes:
''Was D-Day really 54 years ago.'' (A question should end with a question mark.) ''He was only eighteen then, when he stood on the deck of the Navy LST 515 in the English Channel with the ship's crew and listened intently to the captain as he opened and read the message from General Dwight Eisenhower. 'You are about to embark on a great crusade...' The words that followed prefaced the most dramatic event in wartime history -- OPERATION OVERLORD, the Normandy Invasion.
''Harry was one of the hundreds of Navy Hospital Corpsmen, a unit known as Foxy 29, assigned to these bulky amphibious ships, affectionately known as Large Slow Targets.
''About 200 of these ships carrying troops and vehicles would join the many other ships in an attack on Normandy. After their precious cargo was unloaded onto the beaches, the Foxy 29 medical teams gathered the thousands of wounded soldiers from the beaches -- administered first aid as they sailed back to the refuge of a southern England port.
''Harry remembered the frightened look in the eyes of the many wounded American paratroopers taken aboard his ship off Utah Beach that hectic day. The horrors those guys saw during the early hours of fighting must have been awesome!
''The coffee pot was now boiling furiously and starting to boil over. Harry turned to the stove and shut the electric off.
''The drive west on the Long Island Expressway toward Belmont Park was a hazardous adventure. The traffic was heavy and fast.''
What happened here? Stevens had created a descriptive passage about the Normandy Invasion. But he seems to run out of steam and strips gears in the reader's mind. He grinds from one transition where Harry's coffee is boiling over, to another sudden transition to a drive on the Long Island Expressway.
Perhaps he should have ended with a chapter break to give the reader a chance to mentally mull over the excellent writing about Normandy before the abrupt and painful shift.
Stevens' development of Marge and Lillian is even less effective. Granted, Harry, Mike, Marge and Lillian are senior citizens, and they seem to possess a fulfillment in life that younger readers might not understand. Still, Stevens only skims the surface of these women. A woman is much more than a foil for a man.
For instance, Harry has spent the night at Marge's. In the morning, she yells up the stairs to him:
''Harry, toss down your socks and underwear and I will speed wash and dry 'em for you. There's a new toothbrush and a bag of disposable razors in the bathroom. You will find aspirin there, too. And hurry, the bacon is in the pan and your country breakfast will be ready in 15 minutes.''
How convenient. How provincial.
''Last Seen In Saratoga'' concludes with an opportunity for Stevens to re-introduce his characters at a later time -- a good plan, because one cannot help but wonder what comes next in the lives of Harry, Mike, Marge, and Lillian. Stevens hints that they might be heading off to Atlantic City and beyond.
''Last Seen In Saratoga'' is a step for Stevens to become a better writer. Some parts are excellent; others very are weak.
Readers should take into consideration that this is the author's first novel. A writer writes, and if Stevens is a writer, he will keep writing, regardless of anyone's opinion.
©The Saratogian 2006
LEE GOODEN, For The Saratogian
09/10/2002
Book review
'Last Seen In Saratoga'' came out just in time for Saratoga's famous track season. One cannot help but think of a Dick Francis novel, or of the late Charles Bukowski, when considering books about horse racing.
Bukowski filled many pages with poems, stories and essays about his exploits at the track. He once said, ''Everybody has got a system, but it's only a system when it works.''
Stevens has the beginning of a system -- ''Last Seen In Saratoga'' almost works. We'll have to wait until the next book to see if there's a payoff.
'''Last Seen In Saratoga' is a glimpse into the lives of four senior citizens who find friendship in each other's company. Harry, a widower, and his pal, Mike, a divorcŽ, both love betting on the horses. They invite their new lady friends to join them for a fun holiday at the races in Saratoga,'' reads a blurb at the front of the book.
The book is 15 short chapters of ''glimpses'' leading up to four longer chapters about horse racing.
Because of these ''glimpses,'' it is difficult to develop empathy for the characters. Stevens touches on a subject here or lights on a subject there.
The reader is just beginning to get a sense of Harry, and suddenly Harry is steering his car into a local strip mall. What happened to his wife? What's up with those daffodils? Why did Harry go to a strip mall?
Aside from his incorrect punctuation, grammatical and syntactical errors, Stevens has no follow-through.
For example, of the political differences between the main characters, Harry and Mike, Stevens writes: ''Their political views sometimes clashed fiercely over heated controversies like whether Bill Clinton was the worst or the best of our presidents.''
What does that mean?
In another example of these ''glimpses,'' Harry is in his kitchen when his mind wanders. Stevens writes:
''Was D-Day really 54 years ago.'' (A question should end with a question mark.) ''He was only eighteen then, when he stood on the deck of the Navy LST 515 in the English Channel with the ship's crew and listened intently to the captain as he opened and read the message from General Dwight Eisenhower. 'You are about to embark on a great crusade...' The words that followed prefaced the most dramatic event in wartime history -- OPERATION OVERLORD, the Normandy Invasion.
''Harry was one of the hundreds of Navy Hospital Corpsmen, a unit known as Foxy 29, assigned to these bulky amphibious ships, affectionately known as Large Slow Targets.
''About 200 of these ships carrying troops and vehicles would join the many other ships in an attack on Normandy. After their precious cargo was unloaded onto the beaches, the Foxy 29 medical teams gathered the thousands of wounded soldiers from the beaches -- administered first aid as they sailed back to the refuge of a southern England port.
''Harry remembered the frightened look in the eyes of the many wounded American paratroopers taken aboard his ship off Utah Beach that hectic day. The horrors those guys saw during the early hours of fighting must have been awesome!
''The coffee pot was now boiling furiously and starting to boil over. Harry turned to the stove and shut the electric off.
''The drive west on the Long Island Expressway toward Belmont Park was a hazardous adventure. The traffic was heavy and fast.''
What happened here? Stevens had created a descriptive passage about the Normandy Invasion. But he seems to run out of steam and strips gears in the reader's mind. He grinds from one transition where Harry's coffee is boiling over, to another sudden transition to a drive on the Long Island Expressway.
Perhaps he should have ended with a chapter break to give the reader a chance to mentally mull over the excellent writing about Normandy before the abrupt and painful shift.
Stevens' development of Marge and Lillian is even less effective. Granted, Harry, Mike, Marge and Lillian are senior citizens, and they seem to possess a fulfillment in life that younger readers might not understand. Still, Stevens only skims the surface of these women. A woman is much more than a foil for a man.
For instance, Harry has spent the night at Marge's. In the morning, she yells up the stairs to him:
''Harry, toss down your socks and underwear and I will speed wash and dry 'em for you. There's a new toothbrush and a bag of disposable razors in the bathroom. You will find aspirin there, too. And hurry, the bacon is in the pan and your country breakfast will be ready in 15 minutes.''
How convenient. How provincial.
''Last Seen In Saratoga'' concludes with an opportunity for Stevens to re-introduce his characters at a later time -- a good plan, because one cannot help but wonder what comes next in the lives of Harry, Mike, Marge, and Lillian. Stevens hints that they might be heading off to Atlantic City and beyond.
''Last Seen In Saratoga'' is a step for Stevens to become a better writer. Some parts are excellent; others very are weak.
Readers should take into consideration that this is the author's first novel. A writer writes, and if Stevens is a writer, he will keep writing, regardless of anyone's opinion.
©The Saratogian 2006
posted by Lee Gooden | 7:15 PM
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